At 12/22/12 12:15 PM, Auz wrote:
I went to the cinema to see Wreck-It-Ralph today.

I think the plot is a bit run-off-the-mill in terms of the themes, but I just loved to see all the video game references and also how the makers created "the video game world". I got a few good laughs here and there as well. For example, I thought it was hilarious how that FPS babe cracks out all these cheesy one-liners and how Fix-It-Felix is this stereotypical goody two-shoes guy.

I thought the movie was very well acted as well, it has been a while since I have seen voices that fit the character so perfectly. This move could also pull on your heart strings more than I expected and when *spoiler* Ralph has to destroy the race kart that he made for Penelope it was pretty freaking sad. They said that they are going to make a sequel which focuses more on console gaming and MMOs. This pleases me.

I saw Dredd yesterday. I've got to say, visually, it's got to be one of the most fantastic films of the year. The production design, effects and cinematography I found seriously mind-blowing. It's great to see an action movie not using gritty, muted filters to give a grey tone to the picture for a change. The over-saturated colour schemes just add to the hyper-realistic quality of the film.

While the story and screenplay weren't particularly impressive, it never felt mistranslated from the comics, which is a problem I've often heard raised about the '90s Stallone movie. I haven't read much 2000 AD, and most of what I have read isn't Judge Dredd, but it captured the tone perfectly. The dystopian setting was also expertly realised by the great set-design.

At 12/22/12 12:15 PM, Auz wrote:
I went to the cinema to see Wreck-It-Ralph today.

Did you notice the spray paint tags?

Yeah, I was actually looking at them because I was sure there were going to be a bunch of references in there. However, I didn't recognize many of them.

I'm not that familiar with arcade games though so that might explain.

At 12/22/12 11:46 PM, Cootie wrote:

At 12/22/12 12:15 PM, Auz wrote:
I went to the cinema to see Wreck-It-Ralph today.

I think the plot is a bit run-off-the-mill in terms of the themes, but I just loved to see all the video game references and also how the makers created "the video game world". I got a few good laughs here and there as well. For example, I thought it was hilarious how that FPS babe cracks out all these cheesy one-liners and how Fix-It-Felix is this stereotypical goody two-shoes guy.

I thought the movie was very well acted as well, it has been a while since I have seen voices that fit the character so perfectly.

Yeah, I agree. I liked Sarah Silverman the most.

This move could also pull on your heart strings more than I expected and when *spoiler* Ralph has to destroy the race kart that he made for Penelope it was pretty freaking sad.

Indeed, that scene was pretty sad. I thought there was going to be some interruption and Ralph wouldn't do it in the end, but then I was a bit surprised that he did wreck the cart.

They said that they are going to make a sequel which focuses more on console gaming and MMOs. This pleases me.

Watched The Passion of Joan of Arc this morning. Never thought over 90 minutes of silence, without even a score, consisting mostly of close ups of a woman's face could be so utterly compelling. Falconetti is impossibly good.

Going to rewatch it with one of the two optional soundtracks on the Blu-ray soon. Wanted to watch it in it's purest form first.

Also watched Cronenberg's version of The Fly, Citizen Kane and rewatched The Princess Bride today. All also good.

At 12/26/12 05:56 PM, Makeshift wrote:
Django Unchained is going down as one of the greatest films ever made. Man, that is the best I've seen in a while and my new favourite Tarantino film. So damn good, do yourselves a favour and see it.

Better than Inglorious Basterds? Well, this may indeed be worth a look. I just got a shit load of money for Christmas, so I will probably go see it then.

At 12/26/12 05:56 PM, Makeshift wrote:
Django Unchained is going down as one of the greatest films ever made. Man, that is the best I've seen in a while and my new favourite Tarantino film. So damn good, do yourselves a favour and see it.

Better than Inglorious Basterds? Well, this may indeed be worth a look. I just got a shit load of money for Christmas, so I will probably go see it then.

Inglourious Basterds was my favourite Tarantino film before this, but yes, I'm almost positive I prefer Django Unchained. Maybe I need to watch both films again back to back. I've watched Basterds at least 6 times and I've only had the one experience with Django, which was actually pretty horrible considering I was stuck in a separated section directly in front of the huge screen. I had to look straight up and I couldn't see much of anything. A certain explosion near the end was so loud I could feel it on my legs. I've never had such a bad seat at a theatre, but for some reason it was packed on Christmas and there was no way I was going back home or waiting 3 hours for this.

At 12/29/12 11:03 PM, Wegra wrote:
Anyone around here keep track of every movie they watch? Because I do. Here's mine (Copied and pasted if your wondering)

I keep track of the DVD's I own and I've seen around 3/4 of them. Unfortunately the list doesn't fit here anymore. It was getting close to 850 the last time I checked.

Watched some new films recently including The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, Ted and Contraband.
TDKR and TAS were both solid 9/10's. Although I think TDKR was my least favourite in an awesome trilogy. TMS was a worthy reboot but I still can't decide whether I like the original film better or not. Ted (8/10) was a decent comedy that kept me chuckling throughout. Contraband (7/10) was an average action flick with some stellar performances from the leads.

At 12/30/12 12:42 AM, Wegra wrote:
Kill Bills gotta be my favorite hands down. The action is just flawlessly executed not so much a fan of the second but it was worthy to the name.

There is one really incredible shootout near the end of Django Unchained that I think you'll be in love with. The whole style of the film is very Inglourious Basterds, but this one shootout reminded me so much of Kill Bill. I keep thinking about how much I'd like to go back and see Django Unchained already. It is definitely one of my favourite films.

I saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which I really liked. It's thrilling and funny at times, with strong performances, an intriguing story, and great visuals. I had a bit of problems with the pacing, like during the party at Bilbo's house, but the pacing generally worked well. I read the book years ago, though I recall having some trouble following it. I'm curious how the next two films are gonna work out, especially if they have about the same runtime as this one.

At 12/29/12 11:03 PM, Wegra wrote:
Anyone around here keep track of every movie they watch? Because I do. Here's mine (Copied and pasted if your wondering)

Yeah, I do, pretty much. I dunno how other club regulars feel, but I don't think we need long lists like this posted right on the thread. They're a waste of space. Post them in a link or keep it to, say, 20 at most, as long as you don't do it often.

Yesterday I watched Friday The 13th and today I watched Arachnophobia. Both were lots of fun, but the former was definitely more memorable. I was really surprised at how much it managed to subvert my expectations of it. The decoy-protagonist was especially effective.

Having seen a lot of the sequels first, I was surprised how good the original was. I expected it to be a pretty standard Halloween rip-off, but I really enjoyed it, and the story structure was suitable as well as classic.

Saw Django Unchained a few days ago with my friends and it was the best movie I have seen since No Country For Old Men. If Samuel L Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio both don't get Oscar nominations I will be very pissed.

Does anyone recommend which version of Superman II I should check out? I've held off on seeing it for some time because I'm not sure which cut to watch first.

Also, I saw Wrath Of The Titans and Jason And The Argonauts recently. Wrath was a lot better than the first one, but still somewhat forgettable. I found the action somewhat exhaustive, though a few sequences were enjoyable. This one managed to include more characterisation than the first (which I wasn't fond of), and though the dialogue was typical I still found myself invested in a few of the characters. Also, Zeus managed to actually do something for once, which was a nice change from just being an overseer in the story and occasionally helping out the protagonist.

Jason I found more memorable, though it had many of the same faults as Wrath. I think what worked was the way the scale remained consistent throughout, and really gave a sense of scope. With Wrath, the quick-cutting and frequent change in perspective made me loose sense of the magnitude of a lot of the action. The skeleton sequence in Jason was also totally awesome. Hercules was cool too, but didn't really do much.

Don't know how much I'd recommend either, but they're a lot of fun if you're a fan of classical mythology.

I think this film might be worth a visit just for looking at the CGI and all the beautiful imagery. I heard all the animals in this film are actually fully computer generated and I have to say that they really did an incredible job with them. I've never seen CGI animals look so convincingly realistic. Admittedly, they overdid it a little bit in some scenes (e.g. the whale scene), but I was very impressed overall.

The plot was pretty good too in my opinion, although the commentary on religion and the parallels to it could've perhaps been a little bit more subtle.

Anyway, I had a good time watching this.

At 1/1/13 08:34 PM, EclecticEnnui wrote:
With 2012 over, these are my favourite films of the year.

Skyfall happens to be my number 3 as well. I also got The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers in my top 10. Chronicle was good, but I didn't consider it for my list. I haven't seen the other ones.

1 - Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World - Balances sentimentality with humour flawlessly. Carell and Knightley have great chemistry together and make the meandering plot work to their advantage. The ending is especially fantastic.

2 - Moonrise Kingdom - A nice return to form for Wes Anderson, with the usual idiosyncratic humour and brilliant visuals. The central relationship is perfectly orchestrated, and the fairy-tale quality that accompanies everything helps make it a memorable experience.

3 - Jeff Who Lives At Home - Another win for the Duplass brothers. Their style remains unhindered despite a larger budget, and it flows casually and likeably enough that even when it boarders on the improbable it's just as enjoyable as it's quieter, more human scenes. Jason Segel's performance is pitch-perfect, and helps punctuate the film with laughs when appropriate.

4 - The Perks Of Being A Wallflower - A winning adaptation of the novel, competently directed by its author. Despite being very typical of the genre, it sets itself apart by being so flawlessly executed. Props go to Emma Watson for actually acting, for once.

5 - Safety Not Guaranteed - A fun premise that works thanks to its brilliant leads and a charming script. While not ambitious, it succeeds at mixing genres and doesn't sidestep any of the issues it raises. Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass really make the film. Fans of lo-fi comedy will lap it up.

The other movies I saw were: The Cabin In The Woods, The Five-Year Engagement, The Avengers, Prometheus, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises, ParaNorman, Dredd, Wrath Of The Titans,Skyfall and The Hobbit. I'd say The Avengers was probably the event-movie of the year. I liked The Hobbit but I feel it would probably hold up better on DVD than in theatres.

Films I still need to see: Sinister, Ted, Frankenweenie, Take This Waltz, Looper, This Is 40 and Celeste and Jesse Forever.